African Penguins go EXTINCT for one day!

We want to give a big "THANK YOU" to all of our visitors who helped us bring the African penguins back from EXTINCTION during SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction)!

For Endangered Species Day, we wanted to imagine what the world would look like without African Penguins, who are at risk of going extinct! We filled their exhibit with all of the threats they face: pollution, plastic, oil spills, and over-fishing.

Visitors signed their name as a pledge to help save this species by doing small acts in their own lives, such as turning off the lights, only purchasing sustainably harvested fish, and using less fossil fuels. After receiving enough pledges, a few volunteers joined us in cleaning up the exhibit! Thanks to their hard work, the African penguins were saved from extinction!

Ring-necked doves arrive at the aviary!

The aviary has eight new feathered friends waiting to coo at you this summer! Friendly and sociable, ring-necked doves are the perfect addition to the flock.

Originating from Africa, ring-necked doves are named for a dark patch of feathers that circle around their neck. They have gentle personalities, often spending their afternoons softly crooning at passing guests. Don’t be surprised if one of them lands on your finger while trying to nibble at your millet treat this summer!

As with all new animals that arrive to the Zoo, the doves are currently in quarantine, and must be temporarily kept apart from the cockatiels that normally live in the aviary. Once out of quarantine, the other birds will join them in the exhibit on the first weekend of June. While the aviary is not currently open for walkthroughs, you can still observe the doves from outside the exhibit.

We are hoping to create a larger population of our new coo-ing friends through breeding, so be on the lookout for fluffy baby birds.

Andre the kangaroo hops into new home at the Children's Zoo

The Children’s Zoo at Celebration Square is leaping into the new year with some exciting news—a young Eastern Grey kangaroo is now bounding around the Outback exhibit!

Andre is a two year male kangaroo from the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo in Indiana. He joins Nikki, an Eastern Grey kangaroo that also moved from Fort Wayne to Saginaw back in 2005. Nikki will be turning 17 years old this May, which is quite the achievement for this species, as they have an average lifespan of only 10 years in the wild.

Despite the age difference, the two are warming up to each other nicely. At first it seemed as though Nikki did not appreciate a young and rambunctious whippersnapper leaping about her home. However, zookeepers have now observed them eating, drinking, and exploring together.

Two new male penguins arrive in hopes to breed

The Children’s Zoo at Celebration Square is excited to announce the arrival of two male African Black-footed penguins! Robben and Bamm-Bamm have traveled all the way from Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York to be paired up with Dewey and Scooter, two of the females who currently reside here at the zoo.

This pairing has been recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) as part of the African Black-footed penguin Species Survival Plan (SSP). Having looked at the genetic lineage of every penguin in every AZA facility, it was decided that these four penguins were destined to meet to help save their species, which is endangered.

Make sure to stop by the penguin exhibit this summer to give these guys a warm welcome!

Animal Stars is CLOSED

Due to the condition of the Animal Stars building, we regret to inform our visitors that we can no longer allow access to it. The animals have been relocated off exhibit until a solution can be found. We hope to bring our visitors face to face with our scaly, creepy, and crawly friends again soon… stay tuned!